Can historic Yamuna water accord will solve Rajasthan’s water crisis

New Delhi: Rajasthan and Haryana on Thursday signed an agreement for the construction and implementation of the Yamuna Water Project, aiming to resolve a nearly three-decade-old dispute over the utilisation of Rajasthan’s share of Yamuna waters and improve drinking water supply in water-stressed regions of both states.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil.

Addressing the event, Amit Shah described the pact as a landmark example of “solution through dialogue” and cooperative federalism, saying it ends a water-sharing issue that had remained unresolved for almost 30 years.

Under the agreement, around 580 million cubic metres (MCM) of water will be conveyed from the Western Yamuna Canal to Rajasthan through three underground pipelines, each more than 3.6 metres in diameter, during the July-October period. The project will enable Rajasthan to utilise its allocated share of Yamuna water under the 1994 Upper Yamuna Basin Memorandum of Understanding.

According to the Centre, the project will provide drinking water to Sikar, Churu and Jhunjhunu districts in Rajasthan and parts of Bhiwani and Fatehabad in Haryana. The agreement also lays down provisions on cost-sharing, water allocation, infrastructure maintenance, monitoring and dispute resolution.

“The water that was earlier going to waste will now quench the thirst of the people and help recharge groundwater through storage in large ponds,” Shah said, adding that the agreement reflects the Centre’s commitment to cooperative federalism.

While the agreement marks a political breakthrough, its success will ultimately depend on the timely execution of the infrastructure project, which involves constructing a large underground pipeline network and coordinating operations between multiple agencies.

Experts have long argued that water-sharing agreements often face delays in implementation due to funding constraints, land acquisition, technical challenges and inter-state coordination. The project timeline and completion schedule were not announced during the signing ceremony.

Questions also remain over how climate variability, declining river flows and increasing water demand could affect the long-term availability of Yamuna water for allocation among basin states.

The project primarily addresses drinking water needs rather than irrigation. While it is expected to improve water availability in several drought-prone districts of Rajasthan, experts note that sustainable water security in the region will also require groundwater management, rainwater harvesting, wastewater reuse and demand-side conservation measures.

The agreement does not alter the existing 1994 water-sharing arrangement but seeks to facilitate Rajasthan’s access to its already allocated share through dedicated conveyance infrastructure.

The agreement comes as both Rajasthan and Haryana seek long-term solutions to recurring water scarcity in semi-arid regions. It also reinforces the Centre’s emphasis on resolving inter-state disputes through negotiated settlements instead of prolonged litigation.

If completed on schedule, the Yamuna Water Project is expected to benefit millions of residents by improving access to drinking water while reducing dependence on rapidly depleting groundwater resources. However, the project’s real test will lie not in the signing of the agreement but in its implementation and sustained operation over the coming years.